Cupcakes for the Newlyweds!

Awhile back, I shared photos of the cupcakes I made for my first wedding tasting. I met the bride, Maddie, in college when I was studying interior design. Not only is she smart and talented as heck, but she has an amazing smile and an incredible presence— she can just light up a room. I gave up on interior design but Maddie never forgot about me. She insisted I make the desserts for her wedding and to this day I'm still honored she even considered me. October came and went, and today I wanted to share some of the pictures I snapped from that night a few months back. (The room was lit for dancing, and I'm no wedding photographer, so you'll have to forgive some of the strange light in these pictures.)





It was a beautiful indoor wedding filled with good food, wonderful people, and lots of dancing. The emotion that came over me when I saw two people I love "breaking bread" (THAT I MADE) together for the first time as a newlywed couple— I mean, it's just indescribable. It was a very exciting and proud moment for me. Thanks for letting me gush about it here— it seems like only yesterday! 

Mondayzed & Confused

I'm having one of those Alice in Wonderland weeks where everything is backwards and I can't figure out how I got to where I am! I don't wanna say "things aren't going as planned" because lots of amazing things are happening lately— it's just that there has been no schedule or rhyme or reason to my life lately!
My poor Olive was having the most terrible sneezing fits. We went to the vet and luckily we think it's just a little respiratory cold. After some poking and prodding and a prescription I think she is finally starting to feel better now. It's terrifying though— seeing your animal in such discomfort and being completely helpless. I wished so many times to trade places with her, or for the ability to just teach her how to blow her nose!
I think October must be wedding central— I've already been to two weddings this month! Last week we watched as Mike and Kaelah exchanged vows. And this weekend. . . Woof! Where to begin? I started off by baking for 5 weddings at work. And that was in addition to the daily cupcakes I make. So then I came home and baked for my friend's wedding that I mentioned here. It was beautiful and lovely and I can't even describe how it feels to watch a newly wed couple celebrate their love with something you made! It was such a happy and proud moment for me!
With all the excitement in my life I managed to wipe myself out completely. Standing in front of a hot oven for 8 hours a day on 4 hours of sleep really takes it out of you! I spent Sunday recuperating and since there has been strange going-ons at work— I also have today off! Not only do I never have two days off in a row but I have especially never had a Monday free. It's nice to have a little break, but I swear I couldn't even tell you what day it is!
So needless to say, I am a little out of sorts today! I looked at the calendar and I can't even believe we are halfway through October. But I'm glad to say that time is flying because I have so many great things happening in my life! I woke up this morning after the mister kissed me goodbye and I just laid in bed creating a list of all the things I am thankful for. So even though my days have been getting curiouser and curiouser— there is still much to celebrate. It's been a strange week for sure. I'm going to open up the windows and spend my day getting my head on straight! I have some cleaning up to do, letters to write, pictures to edit, and a new friend to meet for coffee. Is anyone else experiencing a whirlwind of a month?!

(Last Minute) Lemon Blueberry Cake

A few weeks ago I had the personal pleasure of baking this lovely Lemon Blueberry cake for my new friend Elizabeth. She created a beautiful cake topper diy to share on Kaelah's blog and I thought it might be fun to share the recipe so you can have your own taste of fresh blueberry citrus goodness!
The first recipe I tried was actually a complete fail. I don't wanna go into details, but between the wet but still somehow crumbly cake to the failed organic powdered sugar frosting— let's just say the first cake looked nowhere close to this. Since my failed cake didn't leave me with very many options, I decided to go with a doctored boxed cake to save some time.
This cake is moist and zesty with just the right amount of sweet. Layered with The Nashville Jam Company's blackberry jam for extra goodness— what's not to love?

Last Minute Lemon Blueberry Cake 
(makes three 6-inch cakes)

1 box Lemon Cake Mix*
1 1/3 cups orange juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs*
1 tbsp lemon zest
2 tsp orange zest
1.5 cups fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease pans with shortening or oil spray then flour lightly. (Use baking cups for cupcakes.)

2. Blend everything besides the blueberries in a large bowl at a low speed for about 30 seconds until moistened, then beat at medium speed for two minutes. (You can use a handheld or standing mixer for this.)

3. Evenly distribute batter into pans. Add a handful of blueberries (about a half cup) to the top of each pan. (Don't stir them in or they will mostly sink to the bottom like mine did.) Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

*I used Duncan Hines, which is actually a vegan cake mix. You can substitute the eggs with 2 flax eggs and 1 Ener-G egg (I just happened to have some eggs on hand I needed to use up).
Zesty Lemon Buttercream

1/2 vegetable shortening
1/2 cup room temperature butter
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 heaping tablespoon lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream the butter and shortening until fluffy. Add in powdered sugar, lemon juice, zest, and extract on lowest speed until just incorporated. Beat on high for 3-5 minutes until smooth.
And there you have it: delicious Lemon Blueberry cake that you can make at home. Don't forget to pop over here to see the whole how-to post!

A Little Taste of Velvet

Do you remember when I confessed that I want to bake for specific occasions and personal events someday? Well that day has finally come! This weekend I held a taste-testing for my first wedding client— I am so excited! I know the bride from when I studied interior design in college. After an initial meeting, the couple decided on red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. So I whipped these up and they've been approved for October. We also nailed down the design for the cake topper and all its details during the tasting so I know exactly what to plan for. I can't wait to share the final sweets with you in a few weeks!

A Southern Style Dessert Table

I just wanted to take a minute to show you a peek of the little engagement party I baked for earlier this month. My friend Katie Beth was the host and visionary behind it. We kept a little southern flair to the party by sticking with gingham, burlap and twine accents, and of course— southern desserts. I made Whiskey Pecan Pie, Red Velvet Cupcakes, and Sunflower Oreo Cupcakes.



I mentioned here that I'm just starting to create + feel inspired again and it's things like this that are really helping. You would think that a full-time baker would want to go home and just pretend the kitchen doesn't exist. But for me, getting to bake + decorate for something like this is actually what is keeping me going. I realized recently that (although I like my job) it's not my dream to bake 1,200+ cupcakes a day for someone else's business. I want more variety, more challenges, and more control than I have right now.



So I guess right here and right now is the time to admit this dream of mine! I'd like to solely bake for specific occasions and personal events someday. I want to make the menu, create the vision, and call the shots. I guess I'd rather spend my time curating dessert tables than standing in front of a hot oven, baking the same cupcakes from memory week after week. Perhaps it's a silly goal but maybe it just makes sense for me? It does feel like the perfect fit for my background— interior designer turned baker. Who knows? Maybe next month I'll change my mind— but hopefully not because I've already got a wedding to bake for!

Holy Fondant, Batman!

Here's a little glimpse of the work I have been doing with gum paste and fondant recently. I learned to make a rose, cala lily, leaves, and a simple bow! I also made a carnation, but it's not pictured since it turned out so poorly/unfinished. I wish I could show more, but my lessons got cut short because of all the sudden madness involved with getting our new jobs and house hunting. BUT— I already found some options in Nashville for cake decorating lessons and classes so I am stoked to keep sharing all the neat things I learn!

Have you ever tried working with gum paste or fondant? These pieces actually photographed really well but I still just see a lot of imperfections when I look at them! It's so hard not to judge too harshly so I just keep reminding myself that they were all first tries— I can't wait until everything is out of boxes and I have a kitchen again so I can keep practicing!

A Rosy Little Birthday

This week I made these cupcakes as a special order for a friend! His mom's birthday was coming up and the request was simple (or so I thought): 24 red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I really wanted to forgo the food coloring and make the cake naturally red, but I tried several recipes out beforehand and failed miserably each time (more details here). So I decided to try out a boxed cake mix just to see what they were like.

Turns out they were moist, a little chocolatey, and super red. I am not ready to give up on RV just yet, but I am still not sure what the hype is about. Honestly, I've come to the conclusion that red velvet is basically just an excuse to eat cream cheese frosting! Which, I think is generally way too heavy, so I beat mine for a ridiculously long time so that it had an almost whipped consistency to it.

Overall, I think these cupcakes actually tasted great, but I had the most fun decorating them! I am learning so much about working with fondant and gum paste, but I am still so far from being any good at it! I can't wait to look back at my photos and recipes to see all the progress I've made days/weeks/months/years from now— it's going to be so rewarding!

I used this video tutorial for the roses (mine just have less petals). Do you have any experience with either red velvet or fondant? It seems I picked two pretty tricky things to combine all at once!